That's because Labonte and Earnhardt didn't have to sweat making the field for Sunday's Daytona 500. Rudd and Bodine, on the other hand, had to finish at least 15th or miss the season-opening, $8 million NASCAR stock car race.

``This is a huge relief,'' Rudd said after his qualifying race. ``It wasn't pretty, but we're in. Now we have a lot of work to do because the car's front end started sliding after about 20 laps. Right now, I'm thinking more about what we still have to do rather than about what we've just done.''

The Chesapeake native started 16th in the first race, quickly advanced to 13th, then briefly lost the draft and slipped back to 16th near the halfway point. He moved back to precious 15th when Wally Dallenbach slowed and dropped out with an electrical problem on lap 31.

``I still wasn't comfortable with that,'' Rudd said. ``The car was sliding, so I needed somebody drafting behind me. I was getting in the turns fine, but it wasn't coming off like it should. I should be thankful we're still here, but we have to fix that push.''

Meanwhile, Bodine started 15th in the second race, but dropped to 18th and loitered there until a restart after a brief caution on lap 37. He got a good jump on the restart, charged to 16th on the white-flag lap, then drafted by Kenny Irwin entering turn 3 for 15th and a spot in the 500.

``With three or four laps to go, I wasn't really sure I'd make it,'' said Bodine, a Late Model star at Langley Speedway in the mid- to late-'70s. ``That made the last few laps pretty interesting. I was banging and sliding all over the place like it was a dirt-track race.

``I knew what the target was, and I just fought my way back. My spotter told me what I needed to do, so I knew what was up. I'm certainly going to sleep better tonight. There's nobody happier right now than me and Ricky Rudd.''

Bobby Labonte led the final 12 laps of the first 50-lapper for his first Daytona International Speedway victory. He beat pole-sitter Jeff Gordon (who led laps 1-38), Jeff Burton, Ken Schrader and Mark Martin.

Not far behind were Jimmy Spencer, Michael Waltrip, Robert Pressley, Sterling Marlin and Terry Labonte. The last five to qualify were Rick Mast, Steve Park, Jerry Nadeau, Ted Musgrave and Rudd.

Earnhardt won his 10th consecutive 125-miler by leading the final 43 laps around the 2.5-mile track. All told, he's now won 12 qualifying races and 20 other races at Daytona. Jeremy Mayfield was second, then Dale Jarrett, Rusty Wallace and Mike Skinner.

Pole-sitter Tony Stewart, a rookie, led the first seven laps before getting shuffled back to sixth when Earnhardt passed for good. Kevin Lepage, Bobby Hamilton, Ward Burton and Derrike Cope completed the top 10, followed by Rich Bickle, Kyle Petty, Chad Little, Ricky Craven and Bodine.

Gordon and Stewart automatically advance to the 500 based on their 1-2 runs in last weekend's qualifying. The top-15 drivers in each of Thursday's races advance, plus Dallenbach, Ernie Irvan, Joe Nemechek, Kenny Wallace, Dave Marcis and John Andretti based on their time trials.

Provisionals based on '98 owner points went to Bill Elliott, rookie Elliott Sadler, Johnny Benson, Brett Bodine, Kenny Irwin and Mike Wallace, a last-minute replacement for Mike Harmon in the Junie Donlavey-owned car. The champion's provisional went to Darrell Waltrip.

Among those who didn't advance to the 500: rookie Buckshot Jones, Morgan Shepherd, Jeff Green, David Green, Dick Trickle, Billy Standridge and Steve Grissom, who was in the unsponsored No. 91 Chevrolet owned by Tidewater businessman Joe Falk.

- Al Pearce can be reached at 247-4641 or by e-mail at apearce@dailypress.com